Simon Says A Novel of Intrigue, Betrayal-- And Murder

Chapter 1 Alexander "Chip" Baxter stood near the middle of the long line that stretched from the pharmacist's counter, in the back, to the front of the cramped drugstore. People's, the only drugstore within a ten-block radius of Shaw, was on overload as usual. Shaw was a desolate place, full of decayed remnants of days gone by. Days and times when people took pride in where they lived. Now they just took. Despite it all, it was Chip's home. And this was one of the more upbeat days, the first of the month, or Mother's Day, as it was called in the 'hood. Everyone was in high spirits, laughing and joking. Mother's Day was the busiest day of the month, as the welfare recipients conned, coerced, and cajoled in order to make their monthly pittance stretch against the rules and the sky-high prices of the Establishment. Children scurried about, begging their mothers to buy the dime-store toy of their dreams. Meanwhile, adults tried to make a dollar out of fifteen cents, using their modest windfalls to purchase diapers, Kool-Aid, cigarettes, and Similac-the staples of a struggling community. Shifting his weight, Chip clutched the prescription until his nails left deep indentations in his sweaty palms. The perspiration smudged the doctor's signature to the point of illegibility, but that was okay. He'd gotten so many prescriptions filled there that the pharmacist knew exactly what he needed. Unless there was an evil clerk aching to give Chip a hard time. He dreaded the aggravated counter girl going off on him. He'd seen her do that often enough. Chip tried desperately to suppress the loud yawn straining his small ten-year-old body, but it was a losing battle. The yawn forced his bloodshot eyes shut, like the snap on a mousetrap. He had deep bags and dark circles etched under his eyes, and he looked like one of the drunks or sleep-deprived addicts who hung out on the corner. His "Feed the Children" poster-child appearance was a direct result of last night's disturbing nightmare and the intense migraine that followed. The dream had been exceptionally vicious, and it was lingering longer than most. Almost two hours had passed since he'd left the ratty old free clinic over on First Street for a temporary fix and rushed over to the drugstore, just to hurry up and wait. The line had barely moved, and the few times that it did, some bigger person would bogart his way in front of Chip. There was nothing he could do about it, so he just waited for relief to come. The yawn brought welcome tears to his dry eyes, and he stretched while carefully guarding his place in line. Sleepy tears dribbled down his gaunt cheeks, and Chip nearly gagged. Nausea was one of the side effects of the migraines, which were sometimes unshakable. Sunlight and noise also heightened his discomfort. Needless to say, time served in the chaotic drugstore only made them worse. The dank, shabby store was stifling in the extremely humid July air. Instead of being a place that offered refuge for the sick, it was dark and depressing. Fighting the urge to simultaneously vomit and cry, Chip leaned against a rack of feminine-protection products and instead yawned again. Eyes shut, he prayed. Chip's thoughts drifted back to his bad dreams. As young as he was, he remembered when they had started. It was right after his mother's death. For a while, they had occurred every night, and then they had become less frequent. Sometimes they were confusing, but most of the time they were scary, until his mom appeared. She was a calming presence, and offered him comfort he didn't get in his waking moments. In the midst of utter turmoil, she'd wrap her arms around him, and he'd often awaken reach- ing for her, only to be met with the raucous snores of his older brother, Ivan. At the end of one of these episodes, Chip would be dazed and drained. His pajamas would be soaked with sweat, damp through to his rumpled cowDixon, Collen is the author of 'Simon Says A Novel of Intrigue, Betrayal-- And Murder', published 2003 under ISBN 9780812968811 and ISBN 0812968816.